576 



NEW MEXICO. 



Dec. 29, 1890, and adjourned on Feb. 26 follow- 

 ing. An important result of the session was 

 the passage of acts for the better management 

 and support of the public schools. A Territorial 

 Superintendent of Public Instruction, who with 

 the Governor and three others shall form a 

 Territorial board of education, was for the first 

 time placed at the head of the public-school 

 system. In addition to the work of general 

 supervision, he is required to hold teachers' in- 

 stitutes annually in each county and to collect 

 statistics of all public and private schools. " He 

 is appointed for two years by the Governor, with 

 the consent of the Legislative Council. Each 

 county shall elect biennially at the general 

 election a county superintendent of schools, who 

 shall have charge of the schools within the 

 county, while the local affairs of each school 

 district shall be managed by a board of three 

 directors elected annually. An annual tax not 

 exceeding 3 mills on the dollar shall be levied 

 on all taxable property in the Territory, the 

 proceeds of which for each county shall be paid 

 to the county treasurer, and distributed by him 

 for the purpose of paying teachers' wages. In 

 each school district the school directors are au- 

 thorized to levy a tax of not over 5 mills on the 

 dollar to raise additional money for schools 

 therein, and each district may issue bonds for 

 building and completing school-houses, provid- 

 ing for their payment at maturity by the levy 

 of a special tax of not over 5 mills on the dollar. 

 A poll tax of one dollar is also levied, and the 

 proceeds devoted to school purposes. The pay- 

 ment of this tax is a prerequisite for voting. 

 The proceeds of liquor licenses are also appro- 

 priated for schools. Children between five and 

 sixteen years of age, are required to attend the 

 public schools at least three months in each year, 

 unless physically disabled or living more than two 

 miles from a school. Books are to be furnished 

 at public expense, if the parent or guardian is 

 unable to buy them. In place of the district 

 schools there" shall be maintained in incorpo- 

 rated cities and towns a system of free public 

 schools, at the expense of such cities or towns, 

 which shall be open not less than three nor 

 more than ten months each year. 



A high-license law fixes the following annual 

 fees for retail liquor selling: In places having 

 not more than 500 inhabitants, $100; in places 

 having not less than 500 and not more than 

 1,000 inhabitants, $200; and in places having 

 over 1,000 inhabitants, $400. Incorporated 

 cities or towns may impose an additional license 

 fee if permitted by their articles of incorporation 

 or ordinances. The sale of liquor to a person 

 who is in the habit of becoming intoxicated 

 after notice from his relatives, or to a minor 

 without consent of parent or guardian, is pro- 

 hibited. Fines are imposed for drunkenness, 

 and liquor shall not be sold on election days. 

 The effect of this act was to close nearly two 

 thirds of the saloons before the end of the year. 

 An act was passed limiting express rates and 

 taxing express companies on then receipts for 

 transportation within the Territory. 



The issue and sale of Territorial bonds to the 

 amount of $25,000 was authorized for the pur- 

 pose of raising money to erect a building for the 

 Insane Asylum at Las Vegas. For securing the 



representation of New Mexico at the World's 

 Columbian Exposition at Chicago the sum of 

 $25,000 was appropriated. The tax rate -for 

 Territorial purposes for the next two years was 

 fixed at 6| mills annually. Other acts of the 

 session were as follow : 



Kepealingthe provisions of law requiring mem- 

 bers of the Territorial House of Kepresentatives and 

 probate judges to be twenty-four years of age, mem- 

 bers of the Territorial Council to be thirty years of 

 age, and the Delegate to Congress to be twenty -live 

 years of age. 



To provide for the printing of bills, reports, and 

 other documents in the Spanish language. 



Declaring trusts, pools, and combinations in re- 

 straint of trade to be illegal, and punishing persons 

 connected therewith. 



Authorizing the refunding of town and city bonds. 



Increasing the bond required of the Territorial 

 Treasurer from $20,000 to $400,000, and of the Auditor 

 from $5,000 to $100,000. 



Providing a general law for the incorporation of 

 towns and villages. 



Designating the second Friday in March as Arbor 

 Day, 



Requiring the publication of legal notices in both 

 English and Spanish. 



To punish persons unlawfully destroying or injur- 

 ing private property and unlawfully fencing lands to 

 which they nave no title. 



Repealing the provision of the compiled laws 

 which adopts the laws concerning descents, distribu- 

 tion, and wills contained in the treatise of Pedro 

 Murillo de Lorde upon these subjects. 



Providing a method for establishing the rights of 

 appropriation of water for ditches, canals, or feeders 

 of reservoirs, and requiring registration of all such 

 rights hereafter made, changed, or enlarged. 



To punish the larceny of ores from mines. 



Eclating to the termination of oral leases of mines. 



Assenting to the act of Congress, approved Aug. "A 

 1890, providing for the endowment and support of 

 agricultural colleges. 



Authorizing and requiring counties and munici- 

 palities to compromise and refund their matured and 

 maturing indebtedness. 



Kevising and moderating the laws for the punish- 

 ment of murder and theft fn their various forms. 



Authorizing counties to issue bonds for the purpose 

 of building court houses, jails, and bridges to an 

 amount not exceeding, with all other bonded indebt- 

 edness, 4 per cent, of the assessed valuation. 



Providing for the incorporation of the proprietors 

 of community land grants. 



Creating the county of Guadalupe out of a portion 

 of the county of San Miguel. 



The Legislature failed to pass a bill reappor- 

 tioning, according to the census of 1890. the 

 members of each House among the several coun- 

 ties. This duty, thereupon, fell by law upon the 

 Governor, who published his order of reappor- 

 tionment a few weeks after the adjournment. 



Education. The following statistics present 

 approximately the condition of the public schools 

 at the beginning of the year: Number of public 

 schools, 533 ; number taught in English, 169 ; 

 number taught in Spanish, 135 ; number taught 

 in both languages, 228 ; number of school-houses, 

 132; male teachers, 373 ; female teachers, 179; 

 pupils enrolled, 24,767 ; average daily attend- 

 ance, 17,218 ; raised by taxation for schools, 

 $130,563. The most immediate results of the 

 new school law of this year are seen in the larger 

 towns. In East Las Vegas a beautiful stone 

 school-house has been erected, and five other dis- 

 tricts in San Miguel County have voted bonds 



